


serendipity

by Princess_andromeda



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-23 21:37:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12517116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess_andromeda/pseuds/Princess_andromeda
Summary: [...]On the next joint practice, Nagisa was the first to approach him.“Why didn't you tell me you went on a date with Mako-chan? I'm so jealous!”





	serendipity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Penrose_Forgeries](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penrose_Forgeries/gifts).



> I'm sorry the title is so basic, I couldn't think of anything better at the moment. Also, I'm sorry it's so short, the other challenges I signed up for are taking a huge toll on me. ;; Also, I'm sorry it wasn't as romantic or as focused on the main pairing as you would have probably liked, I tried to go more for character introspective. I hope you enjoy it, nonetheless, I promise I'll make a sequel out of this! They have such good dynamics and I didn't have enough brains to exploit it! ~~I'm not gonna lie, I love the "friends ditching up friends so that the main pairing ends up together" prompt.~~

"Is that you, Nitori?" Aiichirou looked in the direction of the voice, and tried to recognize the person coming to him. "Haru had invited me to come, but he still isn't here and I was about to leave but I thought I could join you?"  
  
"You're Rin-senpai's friend, right?" It obviously wasn't Nanase, as he had just mentioned he hadn't arrived yet, "Tai…tsubana-san?"  
  
Rin's friend just chuckled and shook his head. "Almost. Ta _chi_ bana." He looked around the area and noticed something. "By the looks of it, Rin didn't come either." Or so he assumed, he sat on the bench beside him, and sighed. "It's surprising they didn't come, as Haru really likes coming… on second thought, maybe he didn't come because the guards remembered him from last time."  
  
Aiichirou frowned. "Last time?" And he felt some of the tension ease out of himself; he couldn't help but think that Rin-senpai was right: this guy definitely had a motherly aura that just made you feel at ease.

Tachibana scratched the back of his head and mumbled something, “he stripped down to his swimming trunks and tried to get into one of the tanks.” And even though he seemed to be doing his utmost to explain, it looked to Aiichirou as if it was the kind of situation you never get used to explaining.

“I see, Rin-senpai did mention Nanase-san having some eccentric… quirks.” He got up from his seat on the bench and tried not to feel tiny in comparison to Tachibana. Being tiny in comparison to most of his teammate was bad enough. He grabbed his cellphone from his pocket and noticed that he had a couple of messages. “Oh, speaking of Rin-senpai… he says he won't be able to come because something unexpected happened… Momo-kun says so too, something about his brother dropping by and saying they should spend bonding time.”

Tachibana grabbed his phone as well and frowned slightly. “Haru says he was indeed stopped by staff; Nagisa says his parents asked to stay and study today since finals are near… and Rei too had to study.” He sighed and pocketed the phone back. “Then I guess it's just you and me, heh, Nitori? You don't mind, do you?”

Nitori shook his head. “Not at all, Tachibana-san, please lead the way.”

Tachibana chuckled. “Please call me Makoto, or Mako for short.”

* * *

 “So why aren’t you and Nanase-san studying for finals?” He only noticed it sounded rude a couple of seconds after he said, and just when he was about to apologize for that, he noticed Makoto shaking his head, as if to understand his feelings.

“It's just that since we were busy with the whole university thing, the professors kind of lightened the weight a little, so we already did finals.” He shrugged.

“Has Makoto-senpai already chosen into a university?” He was told from a small age how important university was, so of course he understood what all that paperwork implied. And, after thinking his question for a little, he hummed.

“Yeah, I actually received my acceptance letter for Tōdai a couple of days ago.” He tried to be nonchalant about it, but having known the feeling for long, Aiichirou could recognize the slight nervous edge his voice had.

“Have you told your parents yet?” It was a lengthy trip to Tokyo, after all, maybe he was nervous because he’d have to live on his own.

And Makoto just shrugged, a small sheepish smile on his face. “I haven't even told Haru yet.” He said that phrase like it explained everything.

And Aiichirou wondered if he should feel flattered that he had been the first person to hear the good news, or weird for the fact that Makoto had told him of all people. Though he supposed that, with Tachibana worrying his heart over everyone, he didn't notice he really needed someone to worry about him.

“Do you need to talk about it?” It wasn't like they had been friends for long, or even acquaintances, but he felt the need to help Makoto, as the small drift in his friendship with Nanase seemed to upset him a lot.

Tachibana seemed surprised at his offer, but instead of replying, he chuckled and shook his head. “Let's just enjoy the aquarium, eh?”

* * *

 “It's nice to not have to worry about Haru all the time, I didn't notice they added new species from last time.” Makoto commented after some time, and Aiichirou seemed amused by that comment.

“I suppose it does represent somewhat of a burden…”

“Oh no, not a burden at all,” they kept silent for a moment as an eel passed above them on the crystal ceiling. “It's just… he’s my best friend, I can't really control him. So I guess it kinda does bother me… but he’ll never be a burden.”

Nitori nodded and thought a little about his own friendship with Rin-senpai.

Now having Momo as a roommate, he could sort of relate to Rin on trying to push him away to get some calm, and he cringed a little on how clingy he was (still is sometimes).

“I understand.”

* * *

 “Whoa!” Aiichirou couldn't help the glee in his voice when they reached the beavers and otters; the little sounds they made, the little branches they carried to the surface, and the way they always achieved things with teamwork.

“They're pretty awesome, right?” He had to admit they were pretty admirable, even if he wasn't as awed by them.

“Yeah! Look at how strong the dam looks by now!” And Makoto chuckled, because all his enthusiasm seemed cute to him in a way that reminded him of Ran and Ren.

“Do you wanna grab something to eat? My treat.” Nitori looked away from the mammals and tried to remember what he had just said.

“Uh, sure. Isn't food here a little expensive, though?”

“I'm used to treating Nagisa to meals.”

* * *

 “I heard from Yamazaki that you were taking lessons from him,” Nitori almost choked on his lychee ramune soda when he heard that.

“You met with Yamazaki-senpai?” Not like that would be _too_ abnormal, just… he was surprised.

Makoto shrugged and cut a small bit from his okonomiyaki, “I met him at the sports shop and had asked how you guys were doing, you know, since we’re friends and all. I’m sorry I intruded into your private life.”

Nitori shook his head and balanced a little the marble on the bottle. “No, it’s okay. I guess you were curious.” He took another sip from the carbonated drink and looked up. “It’s just… I was so focused on becoming good at two strokes like Rin-senpai I forgot to focus on reaching the times for the relay team, then Yamazaki-senpai took notice of it and offered to coach me.”

Aiichirou saw on Makoto’s face that fond smile he always seemed to have with his friends. “Rin really _does_ inspire you, doesn’t he? Though I can’t blame you, he has such passion for the sport… no wonder we won the relay at elementary?”

Nitori chuckled a little and took a bite from his fried fish, “I guess the same applies to Nanase-san and you?” … “how was Rin-senpai in elementary?”

Makoto grabbed his chin and thought for a moment. “Pretty energetic, pissed Haru a lot. He used to make friends really easily, and was pretty reliable.

“Ah, it’s getting late already.”

* * *

 They walked together to the train station, and as they paid their fees, Makoto remembered something. “We forgot to pass to the souvenir store! It would have been nice to get a picture…”

Nitori realized he had forgotten that too in the frenzy of going to eat something. “Oh, it’s okay. I don’t care for souvenirs that much.”

Makoto still seemed upset over it. So he grabbed his backpack and took something. “At least have this,” he said as he reached over a clownfish keychain, “it might not be an aquarium souvenir, but it’s something that might remind you of today.”

Aiichirou took it in his hands and examined it. It had rough edges and he could guess the keychain had a few years on it. “But… doesn’t this have a special meaning for you?”

Makoto shrugged. “I’d rather you have it.” Nitori nodded and attached it to his own backpack.

“Can we exchange emails? I wish to hang out another time.” Aiichirou took out his phone and was prepared to connect it to Makoto’s - if he accepted, that is.

“Of course.”

The next train arrived a couple of minutes later, and they were lucky enough to get a seat for each other.

“You know,” Makoto said when he was almost to his house. “If you want to, you can come to Iwatobi and I could help you with your breaststroke. I might not be as good as Rin or Yamazaki, but breaststroke is my second best stroke.”

Nitori smiled and nodded. “I’ll take it into consideration.”

And when Makoto un-boarded the train, Aiichirou suggested they took a picture together. To remember that day.

* * *

 On the next joint training, Nagisa was the first to approach him.

“Why didn't you tell me you went on a date with Mako-chan? I'm so jealous!”


End file.
